Monday, January 6, 2020

The Historic Manor House at Christmas


 As promised in my last post, I wanted to show a little more of the "Old Fashioned Christmas" neighborhood party that was held at a special mansion that is located in our community, called the Manor House.


Click on to enlarge

A plaque inside the house tells of its illustrious first owner, John C. Shaffer, who built the house and turned the land into an award-winning cattle ranch.


John C. Shaffer in the center surrounded by his wife, two sons, two daughters-in-law and grandchildren.  He named his ranch Ken Caryl after his sons, Kent and Carroll.



The Manor House looked very impressive from its position on the highest hill in the valley, all lit for the Christmas season.



The Manor house is now privately owned and is used primarily as an event/wedding center.  The owners opened the house to the Ken Caryl Community to see how it was decorated for Christmas and to allow for the community to gather and celebrate.



It was a very well attended event! There were food trucks outside and the bar was full of customers. Neighbors were having a good time sitting and talking.



We enjoyed seeing the beautiful decorations...


...and fine antiques.


The Manor House was also the site of frequent entertainment in the Shaffer years, and frequent guests were President Theodore Roosevelt, and President William Howard Taft, as well as industrial chieftains from around the world and celebrities of the time.




The staircase is lined with historical photographs.


 Upstairs, the crowd was thinner and we were able to enjoy a quieter conversation. Our daughter and granddaughter are in one of the photos.




This large ballroom is a recent addition to the house, and most often used for wedding ceremonies and receptions.  On this evening a band was playing music to entertain our fellow residents.




It was so nice to visit this historic home for the Christmas holiday and meet with neighbors to celebrate the season in style.  I hope it will become an annual tradition!



It would be remiss if I did not mention how sad I am for the terrible fires occurring in Australia during this their summer season, and the concurrent destruction of human life and property and wildlife. I visited Australia in 2011 and enjoyed all its beauty.  One of the highlights of my trip was visiting Taronga Zoo--click here to see that post--and where I had the chance to hold this koala bear, as well as do a "walkabout" with kangaroos. Wildfire is always a danger in the United States West, so I truly sympathize with all the people of Australia and I hope and pray all the fires will be resolved very soon!


You can also find me on 


I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

 Mosaic Monday, All SeasonsBlue Monday, Through My Lens MondayLittle Cottage Link Party, Blogging GrandmothersHearth, and Soul Link PartyYou Are the Star Blog Hop, Inspire Me Monday,  Good Random FunNature NotesGrand SocialTravel Photos, Photo TunesHappiness Is HomemadeSomething Old Is NewOur World TuesdayRuby TuesdayTuesdays With A TwistWordless Wednesday on a TuesdaySay Cheese!,  Party in Your PJ'sWordless WednesdayNanahood WWOh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Your Whims WednesdayWorldless Wednesday at Sky GirlWednesday My Corner of the WorldWonderful Wednesday Little Things ThursdayThankful ThursdayThursday Encouraging Hearts and HomeThursday Favorite ThingsFriendship FridaysFriday Features Linky PartyFriday Photo JournalSkywatch FridayFuntastic Friday Pink SaturdaySaturday Critters
Over the Moon, Grammys Grid-Month Long Linky Party



Bookmark and Share

42 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

The Manor House is beautiful, lovely Christmas decorations. Thanks for sharing your visit. I pray for Australia, I hope they have some much needed rain. Beautiful post and photos. Happy Monday, wishing you a great day and a happy new week!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

What a beautiful, wonderful place to have a Christmas party!

Sally Wessely said...

This place is not only beautiful, it is a treasure when it comes to historic preservation. Thank you for sharing.

Suzy said...

Just beautiful!! I would love to take the tour.

Barb said...

What a beautiful manson in your community, Pat. The decorations are fabulous. I hope you aren't getting a windstorm today - it's gusting in the mountains!

Cristina - Memories of the Pacific said...

The Manor House is so beautiful both inside and outside! It's the type of place I love to visit when I travel.
I really hope the fires in Australia end soon. It's terribly sad.

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

A beautiful mansion and I love the decorations

A Bit of the Blarney said...

Such lovely surroundings where you can gather with your neighbors. It is certainly festive! Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Australia, too! Have a grand week!

Anne Fraser said...

I love your photos especially the top one of the outside of the Manor.

Tom said...

...wow, talk about decking the halls for Christmas!

NCSue said...

Gorgeous!!!
Thanks so much for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/01/cranberry-orange-babka.html

Ruth Hiebert said...

Oh wow! That house looks wonderful and elegant.

Small City Scenes said...

The Manor House is truly remarkable---or rather the people who built it. So glad it has be kept as a beautiful Manor House for all to enjoy
My heart goes out to all in Australia
MB

Joanne said...

OH wow; that is such a beautiful home and the holiday décor really lives up to the name too.

Maggid said...

What a magnificent home . . . thank you . .
and yes - healing and Hope for Australia.

Angie said...

Pat - it is so generous that the owners of the Manor House would open it to the Caryl community residents. What a gorgeous property, and so gloriously decorated for the holidays!

I agree with you that the fires in Australia are horrific - we are all praying for a quick end to the devastation.

Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday, my friend!

Jeanie said...

Oh Pat, this is almost unbearably beautiful. It certainly captures the festivity and beauty of holiday decorating and so lovely that you could go.

Lady Fi said...

How lovely!

Fun60 said...

What a beautiful place to begin the Christmas celebrations with your fellow neighbours.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

There is nothing like a well furnished and decorated old house at Christmas. What a treat to spend some time there. I love how it has been repurposed as an event center.

R's Rue said...

Beautiful. ❤️❤️❤️

Michelle said...

That is an impressive home. Also quite a display with the holiday decor.

Lowcarb team member said...

The Manor House looks so beautiful …

I pray that rain will soon come to Australia, the fires are truly devastating.

All the best Jan

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Thank you for sharing photos from this incredible attraction. Looks amazing.

betty-NZ said...

Oh, I do love to see these fabulous homes decorated for the holidays! I love your photos so much :)

Your post is a great addition to 'My Corner of the World' this week!

My Corner of the World

Sandra Nachlinger said...

I'm always happy to see older homes preserved for future generations to enjoy. The decorations in this one are lovely. Looks like a fun event.

likeschocolate said...

I will have to check it out the next time I go to Denver!

ellen b. said...

Such a grand house and so beautifully decorated!

Jim said...

Great post.

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

What a gorgeous house and what a wonderful way to celebrate the Holidays with friends and family!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Hugs,
Debbie

Sharon Wagner said...

I always love a good mansion tour. Oh, the koala photos are so cute. I hate to think of the word fire and koalas - or any animals - in the same sentence.

Heather{Our Life In a Click} said...

What a beautiful place to visit and see the festive decorations!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

It looks like a very beautiful property and a fun visit for the holidays. May be a new family Christmas tradition for you!

Vee said...

What a stunning home beautifully decorated for Christmas. It must have been a magical evening. I saw your daughter and granddaughter looking so comfortable on the chaise lounge.

Tanya Breese said...

Oh that house!!! It's gorgeous and what a nice venue for a Christmas party!

What is happening in Australia is breaking my heart 😢

Amy Johnson said...

Wow! What a stunning house!

handmade by amalia said...

How lovely to see the Manor alive and brightly lit and learn a little of its history. I love these charming old buildings.
Amalia
xo

Little Wandering Wren said...

What a treat - It must be the Brit in me I love the traditional olde worlde Christmas decorations - the Manor house is a perfect setting. I hope it is an annual event for you too.
Thank you so much for your kind words re the Australian Bushfires, I have added them to my recent post. It means so much to know that the world is taking note.
Wren x
Wren x

Barbara said...

We walked through the Manor House several years ago, when the renovations had just begun. It has turned out so beautiful (as we knew it would). You are blessed to live so close to it. You live in a wonderful area, kind of tucked away yet not very far from the necessary places. Thanks for sharing these pictures.

Happy New Year, Pat!

PS I think I gained a little weight from observing all your holiday cooking! LOLOLOL

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Wow Pat. That's quite a place! So nice that you live nearby and were able to enjoy the decorations and seeing other neighbors. Yes, so sad about what's happening in Australia. How lucky you were to visit.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What a lovely community treasure Pat and what a grand place to live. The Manor House is elegant and was beautifully decorated for the season. Nice to know the history of it as well.

William Kendall said...

Beautiful, inside and out.